Method of prefabricating a truss

ABSTRACT

A wooden floor or roof structure comprises a plurality of floor or roof panels supported in a common plane by a series of spaced parallel prefabricated wooden trusses. Each truss comprises an elongated horizontal wooden upper chord having its end spanning a pair of walls and a wooden lower chord having a length less than the distance between the supporting points of the upper chord. The chords are joined by a plurality of wooden web members with established axes of equal lengths, the ends of said webs cut with a first cut made at a predetermined reference pitch and a plurality of said ends cut with second cuts which do not pass through the established axes.

United States Patent [191 Menge Dec. 10, 1974 Related US. ApplicationData [60] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 191,347, Oct. 21, 1971,abandoned, which is a division of Ser. No. 853,456, Aug. 27, 1967,abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 658,193, Oct. 3,1967, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 144/326 R, 52/691, 144/309 L, 144/314 B, 144/323 [51] Int.Cl. B27c 9/00 [58] Field of Search 144/3 R, 2 R, 309 R, 309 L, 144/312,314 R, 314 B, 319, 323, 326 R; 52/262, 92, 741, 692, 691, 693

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1940 Goss et al. 144/326 RX 12/1962 Willatts 52/691 X 10/1967 Chandler 52/691 X [57] ABSTRACT Awooden floor or roof structure comprises a plurality of floor or roofpanels supported in a common plane by a series of spaced parallelprefabricated wooden trusses. Each truss comprises an elongatedhorizontal wooden upper chord having its end spanning a pair of wallsand a wooden. lower chord having a length less than the distance betweenthe supporting points of the upper chord. The chords are joined by aplurality of wooden web members with established axes of equal lengths,the ends of said webs cut with a first cut made at a predeterminedreference pitch and a plurality of said ends cut with second cuts whichdo not pass through the established axes.

4 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENIE 0am 01974 saw aura |NVENTOR ONALDC. ME NGE 7 Wwm ATTORNEYS METHOD OF PREFABRICATING A TRUSS CROSSREFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is acontinuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 191,347 filedOct. 21, 1971, now abandoned. The latter application is a division ofSer. No. 853,456 filed Aug. 27, 1967, now abandoned, which was acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 658,193 filed Oct. 3, 1967,now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to a method of fabricating wooden floor and roof structures, andmore specifically to such a floor or roof structure wherein the floorpanels are supported by a' series of prefabricated wooden trusssections.

2. Description of the Prior Art conventionally, wooden floor and rooftrusses of residential buildings and the like comprise a series ofclosely spaced parallel wooden joists which have their ends mounted onsills, girders or other supports and, depending on their lengths, mayalso have intermediate portions supported by girders, walls or the like.The rough floor, or roof boards, are then secured to the upper edges ofthe joists. Such floor and roof structures of this type are generallyassembled on the job by skilled tradesman and in the past were of arelatively low cost. In recent years, substantial increases in the costof skilled labor and of lumber have contributed greatly to the rise inthe construction cost of such floor and roof structures. Sinceconventional wooden floors must support the full live load appliedthereto they require a substantial depth. Furthermore, ducting, waterpipes and the like are normally supported below the lower edge of thejoists thereby creating an unfinished appearance. If it is desirable toconceal the ducting, water pipes and the like by attaching a ceiling tothe joist, difficulties arise because the ceiling must be suspendedbelow the joist at a distance sufficient to'clear the ducts, pipes andthe like.

Workers in the art have been increasingly directing their attention to atype of wooden floor or roof structure which overcomes many ofthedisadvantages of the prior art structures. This type comprises woodenpanels supported on a series of wooden truss sections. Each trusscomprises an elongated horizontal wooden upper chord having its endsspanning a pair of walls, and, in some cases, an intermediate portionthereof is supported on an l-beam girder. A wooden lower chord having alength less than the distance between the supporting points of the upperchord is connected to the upper chord by angularly inclined web members.Gains have been made in the construction of trusses by the inventioninvolves an improved method for forming webs for the foregoing trussesin an economical manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION joined together, preferably, by nail plates.The preuse of nail plates to join adjoining elements and by the ferredwooden truss section comprises an upper chord member having a pluralityof aligned and abutting wooden beams of a generally rectangularcross-section of a predetermined width and depth; the ends of the upperchord being supported on a wall anchored sill or the like and, in somecases, its midsection supported on an I-beam girder forming a pair oftruss halves on either side thereof. In those cases where anintermediate 1- beam support is used the mid-section of the upper chordmay, if desired, have a depth which exceeds the depth of the endsections by a predetermined amount. Each of the truss section halves isprovided with a straight elongated lower chord wooden truss memberextending parallel and spaced below respective upper chord memberhalves. The lower chord is shorter than the respective upper chordmember section and is centrally located with respect thereto. The upperand lower chord sections are attached to each other by at least oneprimary and by a plurality of secondary inclined web members whichextend from the lower chord and abut the lower side of the respectiveupper chord member sections at portions respectively inwardly spacedfrom the ends of each truss half.

Each of the truss halves has at least one primary wooden web memberwhich abuts the end of the lower chord member proximate the wallanchored sill end and is inclined upwardly and outwardly therefrom toabut the lower side of the respective upper chord member section at aportion respectively inwardly spaced from the end of the upper chordsection disposed on the wall anchored sill. When the upper chord is ofuniform cross-section, there are two primary webs, one at each end ofthe lower chord. When the upper chord has a greater cross-section, at anl-beam support for example, there is only one primary web, the otherprimary web becoming a secondary web, as will be described more fullyhereinafter.

The secondary inclined wooden web members have an equal axial lengthwhich is less than the axial length of the primary wooden web member andare formed in a unique manner to be described. The primary and secondarywooden web members are preferably attached to the upper and lower chordmembers by nail plates.

The method of the invention comprises the steps of (a) cutting a primaryweb member such that an end thereof is cut at a predetermined referencepitch; (b) cutting a plurality of secondary webs such that an end ofeach said secondary web is made with a cut at said reference pitch andsuch that said secondary webs, following a first cut at each endthereof, have established axes of the same axial length; and (0) makingsecond cuts in a plurality of said ends of said secondary webs to form asurface of a second pitch in said ends, said second cuts passing outsidesaid established axes.

Still further objects, advantages and applications of the presentinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when theaccompanying description of some examples of the best modes contemplatedin practicing the invention are read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a woodenfloor structure illustrating the type of structure to which the presentinvention is applied, parts of the floor paneling broken away and thenail plates removed for the purposes of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of a typical nail plate employed in joiningthe chords and webs together;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 5 is a view of a prefabricated truss half having a predeterminedlongitudinal length and a predetermined uniform depth;

FIG. 6 is a view of a truss half similar to the one illustrated in FIG.5 and in which the longitudinal length and depth of the truss has beenincreased while the axial length of inclined wooden web members remainsconstant;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the primary web member illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6 together with angular markings representing saw positions;

FIGS. 8 through 11 illustrate the secondary wooden web members utilizedin the construction of the embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, andespecially FIG. 1, where there is illustrated a floor structure 10,having its opposite ends mounted on sills l2 and 14, and an intermediateportion supported on an I-beam 16. The sills l2 and 14 are preferablyanchored to walls 18 and 20 respectively and the I-beam I6 is supportedon columns 22 (only one of which is shown) such that the upper surfaceof the sills 12 and 14 and the upper surface of the I-beam are disposedin a common horizontal plane.

The floor structure comprises a series of wooden spaced parallel trusses24 spanning the walls 18 and and the l-beam 16 and preferablyinterconnected by a series of cross members 26. The upper surface of thecross members 26 and the truss 24 lie in a common plane and support aplurality of rectangular interconnected panel sections 28.

Each truss 24 is preferably symmetrical about its midpoint and comprisesa pair of truss halves 30. Each truss 24 includes an elongated upperchord member 32 which consists of a series of butt joined standard sizelumber sections. Each of the upper chord members has a width and depthof a predetermined amount. As illustrated in FIG. I, lumber sections 33,34, and 35 are provided with the same width and depth. However, as willbe explained hereinafter, the depth of the intermediate section 34 maybe increased so as to provide an increased load capacity. The overalllength of the truss 24 can vary to suit the size of the particularstructure and, depending on its length, may comprise a single piece oflumber or several pieces. It will be apparent that the structurereferred to above as truss halves in the context of FIG. I are. in fact,each a complete truss.

A straight elongated lower chord member 36 is associated with each trusssection half and has a length that is shorter than the distance betweenthe support points for the upper chord halves, and is centrally locatedwith respect to those support points. Each lower chord 36 is preferablyof a standard lumber size, which corresponds to the rectangular crosssectional dimensions of the upper chord members 33 and 35.

Primary wooden web members 38 and 39 abut the ends of each lower chordmember 36 at the ends proximate the support points 14, 16 and 12'of theupper chords and are inclined upwardly and outwardly to abut the lowerside of the upper chord 32 at positions inwardly spaced from the supportpoints l4, l6 and 12. The primary wooden web members 38 and 39 areidentical when the intermediate section 34 is of the same rectangularcross-sectional dimension as the end section 33 and 35.

As shown in FIG. 1 each of a pair of secondary inclined web members 40abut the top side of each lower chord section 36 adjacent an end thereofand each is inclined inwardly and upwardly so that the upper endsthereof abut the lower side of the upper chord sections 33 and 35. Thewebs 38, 39 and 40 consist of sections of lumber which usually have asize corresponding to the cross sectional dimension of the upper andlower chord sections 33, and 36, but can be of a different size. Thespecific relationship between the various web members will be discussedin greater detail hereinafter.

The upper chord sections 33, 34 and 35, the lower chords 36 and the webmembers 38, 39 and are preferablyjoined together by nail plates 42(FIGS. 2 and 5) having integral nail elements 44. The nail plates 42differ from one another only with respect to the number of nail elementswhich correspond to the configuration of the joint with which they areassociated. For purposes of illustration, and for ease in understandingthe drawings, the nail plates have been illustrated as being attached tothe truss members in FIGS. Sand 6 only.

A suitable nail plate is described in US. Pat. No. 3,011,226 issued toD. G. Menge on Dec. 5, l96l. As best seen in FIG. 2, the nail elements44 preferably are punched from the plate and therefore form an integralpart of the plate.

Referring to FIG. 4, a typical joint is illustrated as comprising theabutting web members 40 and 36 with the nail elements 44 impressedhorizontally into the side surfaces of the abutting members. Nail plate42 joins each vertical surface of the abutting members 40 and 36. Thisarrangement provides a strong mechanical connection between adjoiningwooden members disposed in the same plane and is capable of'withstandingsubstantial tension and compression stresses.

Referring to FIG. 1, the trusses 24 are preferably arranged at a centerto center distance indicated at A" of 4 feet. Other standard center tocenter dimensions including 32 inches or 2 feet centers depending on theload requirements may be utilized. The upper chord 32 preferably has aseries of regularly spaced recesses 46 arranged to accommodate the crossmembers 26. It can be seen that the cross members 26 extend normallythrough the axis of the trusses 24 and their spacing accommodates thesize of the floor panels28.

The floor panels 28 are preferably rectangular 4 feet by 8 feet plywoodsections, and arranged with their long sides perpendicular to the axisof the trusses 24. The length of the short sides of each panelcorresponds to the distance between adjacent cross members 26. Thus, thecross members 26 are arranged with four foot centers. This arrangementpermits the joist between abutting floor panels to be supported on across member 26- or on the upper side of the upper chord 32. As can beseen in FIG. 3, the panels 28 can be interconnected to one another as atjoint 48 and supported on the upper surface of the upper chord 32.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, there are illustrated two differentconfigurations which the truss 24 may take, including differentlongitudinal lengths and depths. These serve to illustrate therelationship between the primary web member 38 and the secondary webmembers 40A and 40D as well as to illustrate the relationship among theseveral secondary web members.

It may be noted that in FIG. 1, web 39 is a primary web made exactlylike primary web 38. It will be noted as the description proceeds thatweb 40A, which replaces web 39 when chord section 34 is made of a largercross section lumber, becomes a secondary web to be made by the methodof the invention directed to secondary webs. This latter feature enablesone to increase the load carrying capacity of the truss withoutintroducing a web requiring a diversionary method of manufacture.

In FIG. 5 the truss 30A is illustrated as having upper chord members 33Aand 34A, the upper chord member 33A being a standard size 2 X 4 lumberwhereas the intermediate portion 34A is a standard size 2 X 6 lumbersize. The lower chord section 36A is a standard size 2 X 4 rectangularsection, as are the secondary web members A and 40D. The web member 38is the primary member of the truss 30A and the pitch at which its endsare cut are used as reference pitches in cutting the secondary webs. Inthe particular embodiment disclosed in FIG. 5, all three secondary webmembers 40A and 40D have the same axial length, and have an end cut at areference pitch. In addition, the two secondary web members designated40D have an end made by two saw cuts in a manner to be explained indetail hereinafter. It may be noted that although secondary web 40A hasthe same axial length as secondary web 40D it has the reference pitch ofprimary web 38 on both ends respectively. In the embodiment of FIG. 5,the truss has a depth of l4z inches measured fromthe top side of theupper chord 32A to the bottom side of the lower chord 36A, and theprimary web member 38 rises I inch for every 4 inches of longitudinalrun.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the upper chord member 33B ofthe truss 30B is made of a standard 2 X 6 lumber size whereas the chordmember 34B is of a 2 X 8 lumber size. The longitudinal length of thetruss 30B is greater than that of the truss 30A disclosed in FIG. 5 andhas a uniform depth of 16% inches measured from the top of the upperchord 32B to the bottom side of the lower chord 36B. In the same manneras the webs in FIG. 5, the secondary webs 40A, 40B,

40C have the same axial length which is the same as the axial length ofwebs'40D of the FIG. 5. Similarly each of the ends of each of saidsecondary webs has at least a partial cut at a reference pitch ofprimary web 38. It may be noted that the ends of secondary webs 40B and40C have a second cut at a different pitch. The latter will be describedin greater detail hereinafter.

Thus, although the embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 6 have differentlongitudinal lengths and different uniform depths, the primary webmembers 38 are identical in both, and all of the secondary web members40A, 40B, 40C and 40D have the same axial lengths as well as having thesimilarities in the pitch of their respective ends as indicated.

Although a variety of means may be employed for cutting the primary andsecondary web members, the preferred means for cutting is a lumbercutting apparatus disclosed in my US Pat. No. 3,578,043.

The lumber cutting apparatus disclosed therein is comprised of alongitudinal support table provided with slides supporting two or moresubstantially semicircular plates arranged for movement toward and awayfrom each other. Intermediate the plates, the support table carries oneor more lumber supports for arrangement of the lumber in a longitudinaldirection between the plates. The plates carry pedestals which pivotablysecure swingable saw carriages for rotation around the semi-circularplates on adjustable vertical axes extending through pedestals. The sawcarriages are comprised of arms pivoted for a longitudinal rockingmotion or movement back and forth across the vertical pivot and selectedangular positions transverse to the longitudinal support table. The armscarry circular power saws at one end and are retained and guided at theopposite ends by spring loaded roller adjustable means to keep the armsnormal in a horizontal position relative to the vertical pivot axis. Thesaw arm arrangement is such that the arms may be raised manually toallow the insertion of the lumber to be cut. The saw arms are pivoted onrocking members in the form of uprights which are pivoted to thevertical pivot member for rocking movement in such a way as to assure astraight horizontal back and forth movement of the saw arms uponapplication of a manual push or pulling force thereto during the lumbercutting operation. The vertical swing pivots further carry on each anindex arm for travel around the semi-circular plates, which are providedwith a scale indicating angular points around the arc of thesemi-circular plates for positioning of the saw carriage in any desiredangular position depending upon the required end cuts for any particulartruss member or web section. Oppositely adjusted stops are providedalong the arc of the semi-circular plates and these, as well as theother end of the index arm, may be provided with magnets in order tolock the saw carriage into selected angular positions for a series ofidentical angular end cuts. At each cutting section, longitudinal lumberstops are provided to align the lumber in a longitudinal direction. Thelumber supports intermediate the saw carriage carry adjustable clamps toclamp the lumber prior to the start of the cutting operation. Thevertical axis around which the saw carriage swing are adjustable inrelation to the longitudinal center line of the lumber to be cut toallow relatively long angular cuts as is required in certain of the webmembers. The lumber cutting apparatusas disclosed in the aforementionedpatent application permits the cutting of the ends of the webs at aproper angle for assembly into the prefabricated truss.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated the method by which thesecondary web members 40A, 40B, 40C and 40D are cut. An already cutprimary web member 38, illustrated in the embodiments disclosed in FIGS.5 and 6, is shown in an enlarged form in FIG. 7

with left and right hand semi-circles disposed on the opposite endsthereof and numbered respectively from to 180 and from 180 to 360. Thesemi-circles are representative of the scale plates describedhereinbefore in reference to the lumber cutting apparatus disclosed inmy U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,043.

The primary web 38 of FIG. 7 has a saw cut on its left end (as shown)made by a saw setting of 166 (the actual saw cut being perpendicular tothe saw setting on the saw scale plates). The pitch of the left end ofprimary web 38 becomes a reference pitch. Similarly, web 38 has a sawcut on its right end made by a saw setting of 256. The pitch of theright end of the primary web 38 also becomes a reference pitch. Usuallya large number of primary webs are cut and put into storage beforeadjusting the saw to cut at the axial length L, the length of thesecondary web members. As indicated by the letter L and the position ofthe semi-circles in FIG. 7 the latter represents the saw position forcutting secondary webs.

In FIGS. 8 through 11, each of the secondary web members is illustratedand so arranged that upon inspection of the figures as a whole it can beeasily seen that the axial length L of each of the individual secondaryweb members is equal to the other secondary web members. The primary webmember 38, illustrated in FIG. 8, has an axial length of approximately 3feet, 2 inches for the truss illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, whereas theaxial length L of each of the secondary web members 40 A-D is 2 feet, 6inches. For ease in describing the pitch angles of each of the secondaryweb members 40 A-D, the power saw which is disposed along thesemi-circle on the lefthand side of the primary web member 38 and scaledfrom 0 to l80 will be designated as power saw A," whereas the power sawwhich isdisposed on the right half circle scaled from 180 to 360 will bedesignated as power saw B.

A piece of lumber (for example, a 2 X 4) is placed on the longitudinalsupport of the lumber cutting apparatus, as hereinbefore described, andcutting of the web member 40A is accomplished by .positioning the powersaw A" at the l66 scale mark (a reference pitch). A cut is then made toform the left end of web 40A (as shown in FIG. 8). The power saw B isplaced at the 256 mark (a reference pitch) and a cut is made to form theright end of web 40A. The pitches of the two cuts are identical to thosemade in forming primary web 38.

In order to obtain the secondary web member with a configuration asdisclosed in FIG. 9 and designated by the numeral 40B, a piece of lumberis placed within the lumber cutting apparatus, power saw A is positionedat the l66 mark and a first cut is'made (for abutment against ajuxtaposed surface of a chord). Power saw A is then repositioned at the76 mark and a second cut is made, (for abutment against a juxtaposedsurface of a web) finishing the left end of the secondary web member40B. The power saw 8" is positioned at the 346 mark and a first cut ismade on the right end of the web member 408. The saw B" is then set atthe 256 mark and a second cut is made to complete the right end of web40B. Saw A" at position 166 cuts at the same pitch as saw B" at position346.

Referring to the forming of the left end of web 40B, it will be notedthat two saw cuts are made. It is always the case' that the first sawcut on each end of a web establishes the axial length. When a second cutis made on an end the second cut must not pass through the establishedaxis but rather passes outside it; otherwise it will reduce the axiallength. Thus, when the saw setting is at the 76 mark for the second cuton the left end of web 40B; the cut, as is apparent from FIG. 9; doesnot pass through the established axis. Similarly, the second cut made onthe right end of web 108 at position 256 does not pass through theestablished axis. Visually, as shown in FIGS. 9, l0, and 11, second cutsappear to pass through the end of the respective axes which in thecontext of the invention is outside 'the axis because a saw cut at theexact end of the axis does not shorten the axis. It will be apparentthat trusses can be designed which require second cuts spaced at variousdistances from the end of the axis.

In the same manner, the secondary web portions 40C and 40D are formed byplacing them within the lumber cutting apparatus and making theappropriate cuts. The web member 40C is provided with saw cuts made atsaw positions of 166 (reference) and 152 on the left end and with sawcuts made at saw positions of 346 and 256 on the right end. As describedabove, the second cuts, at 152 on the left and at 256 on the right donot pass through the axis established by the first cuts on each end. Theweb member 40D is cut at a saw position of 166 on the left end and of346 and 332 on the right hand side.

Although the foregoing description of drawings referred to the webmembers as being made from 2 X 4 lumber by way of example, it will beapparent that all or some of such webs could have been 2 X 6, or all orsome could have been 2 X 8, etc. If the axial length and pitch angles oftwo such webs are equal, they can be used interchangeable, regardless ofcross-sectional dimensions, without changing the distance between theupper and lower chords.

It can thus be seen that the present invention has provided a method ofbuilding a series of improved trusses of various lengths, depths, andload capacities using mass produced web elements to join the upper andlower chords of the trusses. The webs lend themselves to mass productionbecause they have a constant axial length, even though two saw cuts maybe made on one or both ends thereof andeven though the webs havediffering cross sectional dimensions. It may be noted that all saw cutsaremade on an end of a web at no more than two saw settings. The latterpermits of a saw being rotatable between two stops which determine thepitch of the two cuts without requiring any decision or judgment on thepart of the operator of the saw.

The fact that the lumber size is not a factor in the maintaining of aconstant axial length and the cutting at a predetermined pitch permitsof a substantial saving in avoiding time loss normally required inchanging saw settings. In the method of the invention a number of webs,for example web 408, can be made from 2 X 4 lumber and then productionof web 408 can be switched to 2 X 6 or 2 X 8 lumber without changing thesaw settings.

I claim:

1. In the method wherein an upper wooden chord and a lower wooden chordare joined by primary and secondary wooden web members to form a truss,and wherein saw cuts are made to form ends of said members to abutagainst surfaces of said chords and said members; the improvement whichcomprises the steps of:

A. cutting a primary web member such that an end thereof is cut at apredetermined reference pitch;

B. cutting a plurality of secondary web members with a first cut at eachend thereof such that an end of each said secondary web member is madewith a cut at said reference pitch and such that said secondary webmembers, following said first cuts at each end thereof, have establishedaxes of the same axial length; and

C. making second cuts in a plurality of said ends of said secondary webmembers to form in each latter end a surface of a pitch which isdifferent from the pitch of said first cut therein, said second cutspassing outside of said axes.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said first cut at both endsof a plurality of secondary web members is made at said predeterminedreference pitch.

3. In the method wherein an upper wooden chord and a lower wooden chordare joined by at least one primary and by secondary wooden web membersto form a truss the improvement which comprises the steps of:

A. cutting said primary web member such that an end thereof is cut at apredetermined reference pitch;

B. cutting said secondary web members with a first cut at each endthereof to form surfaces adapted to abut against the juxtaposed surfacesof a chord, at least one end of each said member being cut at saidreference pitch; and said secondary webs, following said first cut,having established axes of the same axial length; and v C. making secondcuts in a plurality of said ends of said secondary web members to formsecond surfaces' in each latter end, said second surfaces adapted toabut against juxtaposed surfaces of other web members; each said secondcut in an end having a pitch which is different from the pitch of thefirst cut therein; and each said second cut passing outside said axes.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said first cut at both endsof a plurality of secondary web members is made at said predeterminedreference pitch.

1. In the method wherein an upper wooden chord and a lower wooden chordare joined by primary and secondary wooden web members to form a truss,and wherein saw cuts are made to form ends of said members to abutagainst surfaces of said chords and said members; the improvement whichcomprises the steps of: A. cutting a primary web member such that an endthereof is cut at a predetermined reference pitch; B. cutting aplurality of secondary web members with a first cut at each end thereofsuch that an end of each said secondary web member is made with a cut atsaid reference pitch and such that said secondary web members, followingsaid first cuts at each end thereof, have established axes of the sameaxial length; and C. making second cuts in a plurality of said ends ofsaid secondary web members to form in each latter end a surface of apitch which is different from the pitch of said first cut therein, saidsecond cuts passing outside of said axes.
 2. The method according toclaim 1 wherein said first cut at both ends of a plurality of secondaryweb members is made at said predetermined reference pitch.
 3. In themethod wherein an upper wooden chord and a lower wooden chord are joinedby at least one primary and by secondary wooden web members to form atruss the improvement which comprises the steps of: A. cutting saidprimary web member such that an end thereof is cut at a predeterminedreference pitch; B. cutting said secondary web members with a first cutat each end thereof to form surfaces adapted to abut against thejuxtaposed surfaces of a chord, at least one end of each said memberbeing cut at said reference pitch; and said secondary webs, followingsaid first cut, having established axes of the same axial length; and C.making second cuts in a plurality of said ends of said secondary webmembers to form second surfaces in each latter end, said second surfacesadapted to abut against juxtaposed surfaces of other web members; eachsaid second cut in an end having a pitch which is different from thepitch of the first cut therein; and each said second cut passing outsidesaid axes.
 4. The method according to claim 3 wherein said first cut atboth ends of a plurality of secondary web members is made at saidpredetermined reference pitch.